One In The Same
by Nanashichan
Summary: When Draco learns that he's to receive the Dark Mark he formulates the perfect plan to escape...only, what if that plan wasn't so perfect after all? Warnings are DxH, slight angst, action, and definitely sap. Please read and review.
1. Who Can Escape Fate? Draco Can

Chapter 1:Who Can Escape Fate? Draco Can.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Hello everyone. Well I'm back with a new story. Sorry to all that's been waiting for To Emerge From A Vanished Road but I've not been able to write another chapter as of yet for that. Writer's block as it will for that story. I'm sure I'll work it out at some point. As for now I hope everyone likes this. Same warnings in this story as all my other ones (HxD, slash, angst, sap, yadda yadda yadda). Either way, enjoy and feedback is always welcomed.   
  
.  
  
Chapter 1:Who Can Escape Fate? Draco Can.  
  
.  
  
Silver eyes scanned once more over the flowing script of the letter before the parchment was promptly crumpled and a scowl formed on the features.  
  
/I can't believe he's doing this!/ Draco Malfoy thought to himself with fury as he stomped out of the Slytherin common room and into the halls of the dungeon. /Just because he likes kissing Lord Voldemort's sorry ass doesn't mean that I should just follow in his footsteps. How can that man even be called my father when he just wants to sell me out to Voldemort!/  
  
Still fuming, the platinum-haired Slytherin hardly noticed as he bumped into another person; barely even missing a step as he made to continue on his rampage down the otherwise deserted hallway.  
  
"Watch it Malfoy!"  
  
"Sod off." He replied almost automatically, his mind registering the familar voice for a brief second before his thoughts raced back to how he would get out of receiving the Dark Mark with his life intact.  
  
Plan after plan formulated in his mind as Draco made his way through the school but as he crossed the library doors he slowed to a halt. Gazing at the double doors thoughtfully for a moment, the wizard silently entered the library. A smile of satisfaction passed over Draco's features as he noted that there wasn't another student within sight and, for now, the annoying librarian had also mysteriously disappeared.  
  
Slipping in between the nearest bookshelves, Draco read through the aged spines of the many tomes, scanning title after title as he searched for anything that could help him in his need. /There has to be something here. Just what am I looking for? Should've thought of that first Draco./  
  
He couldn't help the sigh of frustration that escaped his lips as he stopped and gazed blankly at the shelf before him. A door at the far end of the shelves caught his attention though and Draco eyed it before realizing that it led to the restricted section. /It must be in there. . .whatever I'm looking for. Now, how to get in. . ./  
  
A new problem on his mind, the silver-eyed boy made his way slowly back to the Slytherin common room and into the seventh year dorms, idly wondering where everyone else had gone to as he flopped back onto his bed and drew the curtains shut tightly.

* * *

It was nearing midnight as Draco ever so quietly slipped out of his common room and dashed quickly through the many shadows. Even the tiniest sound made his nerves stand on end but he brushed it aside, ever eager to keep his cool composure. The small sparkle of relief the flooded into his eyes as the library doors came into sight belied that uncaring facade but the wizard would never admit it as he cast a cautious glance abouth him before vanishing into the library.  
  
":Lumos." He murmured under his breath, squinting slightly at the sudden light before he was off again. Within seconds he found himself in the restricted section, surrounded by books that he knew he must have gone over several times during his sittings in his own private library at Malfoy Manor.  
  
Absently brushing a strand of hair from his face, Draco's eyes darted from book to book and at times over his shoulder as his fingers brushed along the shelves. He was just about to turn to search among another jumble of texts when a glitter of gold caught in the dim light of his wand. Kneeling, Draco reached for the source that had caught his attention and sat back on the floor as he pulled out an almost new looking book from amid its other ancient brothers.  
  
Gingerly turning back the cover and the first page, the blonde-haired wizard couldn't help the smile that came to his lips as he exclaimed quietly to himself, "This is it! This is how I'll escape!"  
  
.  
  
.  
  
To be continued. . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
I know the chapter's a bit short but I promise the next few will be longer. As for feedback. . . Please give some? Guess I'll go witht at least 10 reviews for the next chapter to come out. 


	2. Time Goes By Fast When You're Having Fun

Chapter 2: Time Goes By Fast When You're Having Fun  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Well here's chapter 2. I would like to thank everyone that reviewed for the last chapter and I know this story is starting off a bit slow but I have to be very careful about the details I give in this one or it'll give it all away. It'll pick up though once I reveal what's going on. Dun worry just hang in there. Otherwise, same warnings for this chapter as the last and I hope everyone likes it. Please give feedback and ta!  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Chapter 2: Time Goes By Fast When You're Having Fun  
  
.  
  
_Beep. Beep. Beep. Bee--.  
_  
A pale hand snaked out from rumpled sheets to switch off the alarm as sleepy silver eyes blearily tried to blink the sleep away. Squinting slightly in the direction of his clock, Draco groaned as he proceeded to bury his head under the pillow. /Too early. . .sleep. . ./  
  
The blonde Slytherin was about to drift back into much welcomed sleep when a sudden pounding at the door to his private room came and an annoyingly cheerful voice called his name.  
  
"Rise and shine Malfoy!"  
  
"Zambini, if you don't leave me alone I'll hex you back to last week. It's bloody Sunday!" Draco growled back, burrowing deeper under the covers as if that would help him escape the other boy standing outside his chambers.  
  
There was a slightly muffled sound of amusement that only caused Draco's scowl to deepen but Blaise seemed to be ignorant of the threat the other irate Slytherin's voice promised. "Aww. . .come on. Can't have a lazy head boy. Besides, what would father dearest say when you're late for the train and can't get home?"  
  
The mention of his father jolted him fully into the land of consciousness as Draco's eyes shot open and he sat up straight in bed. Running a hand through his slightly disheveled locks, the young wizard took a deep breath as his eyes traveled over to the book he had set on his desk the night before. "Whatever Blaise. I'm up. Now go annoy someone else." He responded absently to just get the boy to go away as he pushed himself out of bed.  
  
Resisting the urge to grab the book and complete his plan immediately, the silver-eyed boy strode past it to his private bathroom. He paused before the sink as he uncharacteristically worried his lower lip with his teeth. Studying his reflection, Draco's eyes slowly drifted to the pale skin of his arm. He could already imagine the Dark Mark scarring the skin there and the very thought sickened him to his stomach as he struggled to push the image from his mind. Turning the handle on the sink a bit harder than he intended, he worked to supress the oncoming anger as he splashed a handful of cold water over his face. /I have to get it done now. It can't wait any longer./  
  
Grabbing a towel, Draco quickly wiped the water from his face as he walked back to his desk and stared down at the leather bound book. He ran a finger over the gold imprinted words: Potions of the Old World. Slowly flipping through the pages, he found the marked page and scanned through the effects, instructions, and needed ingredients. Nodding to himself, the silver-eyed wizard hurriedly changed and shrugged on a robe, tucking his wand safely in the back pocket of his pants before slipping out of his rooms.  
  
Hesitating outside his door, Draco cast a wary glance up and down the hallway then slipped down the corridor towards the Potions classroom. He could feel his heart pounding a mile a minute as he stepped into the relative cool of the classroom. Even if he was Snape's favorite, he knew that the professor would never excuse him for his intended task.  
  
Draco stood at the door for a second longer before he pushed away the doubts in his mind in favor for the consequences of not completing the potion and made his way to the store room. Muttering a complicated unlocking charm under his breath, he sighed in relief as the lock on the door clicked open.  
  
"Lumos." Eying the many jars that glittered dully in the wand light, Draco mentally recalled the list of needed potion ingredients and picked up several spare jars as he worked to gather everything.  
  
As he put the last of the ingredients, black widow's eyes, into a jar, he breathed a small sigh of relief. "Nox."  
  
Steathily he made his way back to his quarters, leaning back against the door as he clutched the ingredients tightly. Looking to the clock and taking note that he had but two hours remaining, Draco pushed away from the door as he pulled out his cauldren and began to prepare his workspace. /Thank Merlin this potion only takes an hour to prepare. Now to begin. . ./  
  
Working without stop for the next hour except to glance nervously at the clock, Draco finally found himself staring at a vial of pure white liquid. Eyeing the concoction, the Slytherin dropped down onto the edge of his bed and scanned through the instructions for the potion one last time. /This had better work./  
  
Not giving himself another moment to doubt his work, the blonde wizard downed the potion in one hasty gulp. For a second, nothing happened and then Draco felt a wave of nausea pass through him, followed quickly by a sense of drowsiness. /I think I'm going to throw up soon. . ./ That was his last thought as he world drifted off into darkness.

* * *

Harry stared boredly of out the common room window as the clouds continued their slow trek across the blue skies. By every right he should be out on the Quidditch pitch flying on a day like this but with the departure of Hermione and Ron, the brunette just couldn't muster up the effort to leave Gryffindor Tower. /What to do. . .what to do. . ./ He stretched as he stood and made his way through the empty common room as he was the only Gryffindor remaining this year. /Everyone else has a family to go back to but I'm all alone here. . ./ Harry shook his head as if to shake away the depressing thoughts and forced himself to focus on the upcoming holidays.  
  
Ascending the stairs to his room with thoughts of presents and colorful lights, Harry yawned as he laid back on his bed and let his eyes roam over the canopy. Tracing the lines of the red fabric, the young wizard felt his eyes droop until he at last drifted off to sleep and his dreams.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
To be continued. . .  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Well that's it for chapter 2. It's a bit longer but I don't think I could've written more without giving some things away that I want to keep for the next chapter. I hope I get more reviews for this chapter though. Feedback helps a lot in my writing I think.


	3. Voices

Chapter 3: Voices

Yes, contrary to popular belief I am alive! And back with another chapter no less. I know it's been quite a while since the last update but I've just been busy and suffering lots of writer's block. I hope everyone can forgive me. Either way, I won't delay you any longer. Here's the next chapter and of course the same warnings as before. Enjoy and please review. Thanks to all that have already.

Chapter 3: Voices

_Voldemort. . ._

_Blood. . .so much. . ._

_Blood. . .screams. . .horror. . ._

_. . .So much. . ._

_Blackness. . . _

_Voldemort. . .Voldemort. . .Volde. . ._

Draco woke with a start, his breath coming in shallow pants as he his silver eyes darted about with lingering traces of panic from the terror-stricken dream. The unfamiliar surroundings offered no comfort as his graceful fingers dug into the hard earth beneath him and above, the gray clouds swirled with vengeance. As thunder boomed in the distance, a chilled wind caressed its icy tendrils along his exposed flesh, sending waves of shivers up his spine. With the rising tremors, Draco could feel the whimper trying to claw its way out of his throat as he curled into a tight ball and shut his eyes to the elements.

Abruptly everything stopped at once, the stormy weather that had dominated his world vanished and was replaced with an encompassing warmth. With it came the sense of another's presence which couldn't be ignored as Draco cautiously peeked out from the shelter of his arms. He jerked back and sat up in one fluid motion as his gray eyes met an all familiar emerald; a scowl set firmly on his features.

"Potter."

The one word convey the malice and contempt he felt at seeing the other boy as well as knowing that his rival had seen him in his vulnerable state. However, the Gryffindor's expression never wavered from curious and startled.

"Malfoy?" His eyes slowly swept over their surroundings. What had seemed harsh and unforgiving to Draco only moments before was now warm and inviting with the lush rolling plain of grass underneath and the bluest skies above. "Where are we?"

"How the bloody hell should I know? You're the one that probably brought us here. What did you do Potter?" With each heated word from his mouth, Draco could feel his composure returning and he angrily brushed clean his robes while climbing to his feet.

Harry felt his own anger rise with Draco's as he scrambled to his own feet and glared directly into the blonde's eyes. "Now hold on a minute Malfoy! How can you pin this on me? You were probably messing with something you weren't supposed to be messing with again and got us both into this!"

"You're one to talk Potter. Telling other people not to meddle."

The brunette could feel a slightly embarrassed and irate blush spread across his cheeks as his eyes narrowed. "At least I do it for a good reason."

"The ever present hero." Draco mocked, his fists clenched at his sides. In the back of his mind, he noted, like ever other encounter with Harry, how the Gryffindor was always able to get him riled up.

Harry resisted the urge to strike Draco and only gritted his teeth before spinning around on his heels and marching off. Above, the sunny sky began to darken again, clouds racing in from the distant as the first drops of rain to a torrential downpour splashed on the two wizards' faces.

"What is with this weather?!" The blonde shouted through his frustration as he went after Harry. "And how dare you walk away from me?! No one walks away from Draco Malfoy!"

Green eyes narrowed, the Gryffindor turned partially to face the oncoming Slytherin. "Well, apparently Malfoy, someone just did."

Draco could feel his anger heat up, his fists clenched tightly at his sides as he stared daggers at the boy before him. "How dare you Potter." Thunder struck in the distance and in that flash, the blonde leaped towards his rival only to go through empty air. He grunted in pain as he hit the ground and quickly sat back up but the other boy was gone.

Harry had vanished into thin air.

* * *

"Hey! Har, wake up!"

Harry grumbled at the insistent shaking and tried to roll over to go back to sleep when the voice came again. "G'way."

A pillow landed on his head and his covers were yanked away as he finally blinked bleary eyes up at his assaulter; only to make out a big, fuzzy blob. Sighing, he reached for his glasses and put them on as Seamus finally came into focus. "You do know this is the holidays right?"

"We're going down to Hogsmeade today remember?" The boy threw the pillow and it landed on Harry's head with a thump. "Now come on mate. We're leaving in about half an hour."

It had already been some time ago that Harry had ditched Seamus and Neville, wanting his privacy today, and as a result found himself wandering alone down the snow-encrusted street. The few white flurries gently danced around him as the season seemed to give another small reminder that Christmas was on the way. He paused as something in a window caught his eyes and just as he was turning, Harry heard Draco's voice calling his name.

"Potter!"

"What the -- Malfoy -- " The black-haired boy turned around to give the other a piece of his mind only to find no Draco in sight.

/_What in the world? . . ._/

For a second he scanned the crowd of merry wizards and witches but there was still no sign of the other boy. He peered down an alleyway cautiously before passing off hearing Draco's voice as part of his imagination and continued down the street. Passing by all the shops, Harry only vaguely noticed all the items on display as he had finished his Christmas shopping weeks ago; there was only one destination in mind, The Three Broomsticks. Right then, his mind was only set on getting a butterbeer and fading into the crowd to enjoy a nice winter day in peace. If he was lucky he could also pretend, even for a little while, that school, homework, Voldemort, and everything else didn't exist.

"Potter!"

Harry jolted a bit at the ferocity of the Slytherin's voice this time and his eyes narrowed as he scanned the streets. However, the voice that was so loud to him was ignored by everyone else. . .it was almost as though they didn't hear it.

/_I'm going crazy. That's what it is. All those encounters with Voldemort has finally caught up with me._/

"Trust me Potter, you never needed Voldemort to make you qualify as insane."

"That's it. Where are you Malfoy?" A few passer byers stared at Harry strangely but he brushed off their looks. He was too busy searching for the meddling blonde to care right then and it's not as if he hadn't been receiving those looks ever since he set foot in the wizarding world. "I know you're here."

There was a snicker but Harry couldn't place it as he spun to look in a different direction.

"Now how could I be here when I'm supposed to be at home?"

/_Stupid ferret has nothing else bett --_/

"Watch who you're calling a ferret there Potter or I'll get you in your sleep."

Harry couldn't help the shock that ran through him when Draco spoke his thoughts aloud. He blinked in astonishment through the silently falling snow and stood frozen for a moment while he entertained the thought of the other boy reading his mind; it sent shivers up his back just to think of the blonde in his every thought. "This isn't funny anymore. Where are you Malfoy?"

He could almost feel the Slytherin rolling his eyes as the other responded. "Are you that _dense_ Potter? Where else could I be if I can hear your thoughts? I'm in your head. . .I'm in you."

To be continued. . .

Well that's it for chapter 3. I'm working on chapter 4 already so that will be out sooner. The more reviews the quicker. nudge nudge wink wink


End file.
